Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Fabian Holly (circular economy expert) to our 'Designing Innovative Mechatronic Systems' course.
In an inspiring lecture, he demonstrated why the principles of the circular economy are becoming powerful drivers of innovation in engineering - not only as an environmental necessity, but also as an economic and strategic opportunity.
His perspectives fitted perfectly with the aim of our lecture series, in which student teams develop future-oriented product concepts. The ideas he presented opened up new creative paths for the development of sustainable, economically viable and future-proof systems.

✨ Three important insights from the lecture:
1. From linear to circular thinking: Currently, only 11.8% of materials are recycled - a huge untapped potential for smarter, more efficient systems.
2. Design shapes environmental impact: Up to 80% of sustainability is already determined in the design phase, long before recycling becomes relevant.
3. Circular business models create added value: From "Product-as-a-Service" to "Product Use Extension" and "Resource Recovery" - the circular economy is not only good for the planet, but also a strong business model.
Why this is important for our students:

The 10 R strategies, real-life industry case studies and circular business model frameworks provide valuable input for the project teams - whether they are designing long-lasting product architectures, developing service-based concepts or integrating material-efficient engineering approaches.

A big thank you to Fabian Holly for the valuable insights and inspiration!